Condition of Albania--Her races--The Mussulman--The Christian--The
Arnaut--Prince Scanderbeg--Turkish rule--Albanian language--Gendarmes
on strike--A Scutarine beauty--Courtship and marriage--Nuns.
Having now brought my readers into Albania, it does not seem out of
place to here give a rough sketch of this almost unknown province of
Turkey.
The first thing that strikes one is the utter lawlessness of the
people. The Turks have never assimilated their remoter possessions. It
is not in their character to do so. They seem, even after so many
centuries, to be merely temporarily encamped in Albania. They have
pachas and garrisons in the towns, but the natives enjoy a surprising
amount of independence, and are allowed to do pretty well as they
like. Indeed, the government is very weak here, neither feared nor
respected--merely tolerated. The mountain tribes are almost as little
under Turkish rule as were the Montenegrins themselves, over whom,
until the treaty of Berlin, the Porte claimed a suzerainty. Out of the
towns, Turkish officials are not to be found. A powerful tribe will
often refuse to pay the _dimes_ to the tax farmer, when a bloody and
cruel war will probably ensue, lingering on for years in the hills, in
which the government troops will often come off the second best.
At the period of our visit, Albania is in a state of positive
anarchy--the gendarmerie on strike, the soldiers refusing to salute
their officers, neither having received pay for months, while the
natives hold seditious meetings publicly, and unmolested, in the
mosques of the garrison towns, in which rebellion against the Porte is
fearlessly advocated.
Nowhere is the rotten condition and utter helplessness of the Porte
more apparent than here.
The natives, though of one race, may be divided into three classes,
differing very much in manners and character. First, we have the
Albanian Mohammedan. This is the "wild Albanian kirtled to the
knee"--in North Albania, found chiefly in the towns. He is the
aristocrat, maybe an owner of lands in the mountains, which he lets out
to Arnaut tenants, living on his rents. He is intensely proud of his
caste, a despiser of his Christian fellow-townsmen. Courteous,
gentlemanly, not over strict in the observance of his creed, he will
drink raki on the quiet with an easy conscience.
His walk is a haughty stalk. With his gold-embroidered vest, bright
sash--his leather pouch in front, in which are stuck two gold-hilted
jewelled pistols and yataghan, his many-folded snowy festinelle, or
kilt, which swings from side to side as he struts along--he is indeed
an imposing-looking figure.
Secondly, we have the Christian town's-man of the Latin Church--how
different in every respect! He wears the fez, Turkish jacket, baggy
trousers tied in at the knee, followed by white socks, and European
elastic-side boots.
As a Christian the law forbids him to carry arms. There is the timid,
fawning, insincere look in his face, so characteristic of the
oppressed. These Christians are all traders or merchants, many of them
wealthy, but not daring to be over ostentatious, for they live in fear
and dread of their unscrupulous neighbours of the other creed, who have
on more than one occasion pillaged the Christian quarter. Their
position is much what that of the Jews was in medieval Europe.
The dress of the Christian town's-women is not becoming, though
exceedingly expensive. Their robe is heavy and thick with gold
embroidery, which crackles loudly as they walk. Out of doors they are
enveloped in a very ugly red cloak: it is baggy and shapeless. Take an
egg, paint it red, cut a good slice off one end and stand it up--you
will form a very good idea of a Scutarine Christian lady in outdoor
costume. As they are veiled, like the Mohammedans, it is equally
impossible to judge of the beauty of either face or figure.
Next we have the third class of the population, the most interesting of
all, the country people--or rather, mountaineers, for little but
mountain is there in North Albania. These are the Arnauts--Skipitars,
as they call themselves--a fierce, hardy race of almost savages,
independent, unconquered by the Turks. They too are Latin Christians,
but how different from their co-religionists in the town! Their
features are indicative of minds that would not tolerate slavery. They
stalk proudly through the streets of the towns, bristling with arms,
notwithstanding the laws which forbid the Christian to do so. These
warlike tribes are too strong to heed the regulations of the feeble
government. Their dress is simple, but very manly and workmanlike. They
are clad in white homespun from head to heel. Their head-dress is a
white skull cap; sometimes they twist a long scarf round the head and
under the chin, very much in the style of the Bedouin--this is the
"shawl-girt head" that Byron speaks of; a white jacket, with tight
sleeves reaching to the wrist, of thick woollen stuff, ornamented with
black braid here and there; trousers of the same material, and
similarly black braided, baggy behind, but thence close fitting to the
leg until they reach the ankle, where they are slit and open
out--exactly the cut indeed of the nether garments of the American
Indian, except that the lower end is of thicker material, and has the
appearance of a gaiter, though it is of one piece with the rest of the
garment; opunkas on the feet; a sash round the waist, of common red
stuff or of silk, according to the wealth of the man; round the waist a
belt, with leather pouch in front, in which the long beautifully worked
pistols and yataghan are stuck; a belt of Martini-Henry cartridges over
the sash, if he own one of these rifles--if not, a belt from which
depend quaint elegantly-carved cartridge and oil-rag boxes, of gold or
brass, and long tassels of black silk.
Such is the appearance of an Arnaut mountaineer--a grand costume,
showing off the supple, erect frame--the very dress for a savage
warrior. The Arnaut, like the Mussulman, shaves his head, leaving a
little bunch of hair on the scalp. This gives him a very Indian-like
and ferocious appearance. No one who has not seen it can form an idea
how this shaving increases the savageness of the expression.
The dress of the women is as hideous as that of the men is handsome. It
is not unlike that of the Montenegrins. Their heads are swathed in
richly-hued shawls. Their dress is of very thick coarse material, and
shapeless. They are fond of wearing leather bands round the waist,
ornamented with pins, which are thrust through the leather, with their
ends bent up, their heads thus forming elegant patterns on the outside.
Round the neck and on the dress, the Arnaut belle wears strings of
piastres, swanzickers, and other small coins. Her legs are swathed
thickly with a sort of gaiter, which completely prevents one from
forming any idea as to the shapeliness of her lower limbs. Most of the
mountaineers still wear over their shoulders the curious little black
cloak, not unlike the tippet which English ladies have recently copied
from their coachmen, which was adopted in mourning for the death of the
great Albanian hero Scanderbeg, whose exploits are still sung over the
wintry fire by many a mountain bard, to the melancholy accompaniment of
the mandolin. There is not an Albanian who is not acquainted with his
history.
Albania was once an independent Christian country, though paying
tribute to the Porte.
John Castrioti was Prince of the mountain fortress of Kroia and the
surrounding country. In 1404 a son was born to him, who was christened
George. This was the future hero and deliverer of Albania.
The Prince was persuaded to send this son to the court of Murad II. to
be educated. Contrary to the promises made to the father, the boy was
brought up in the Mohammedan faith, and when old enough he entered the
Turkish army.
On the death of Castrioti, Murad seized his dominion, and attempted
with fire and sword to convert the people to the true faith. From that
time Scanderbeg formed a design to expel the Turk and liberate his
countrymen. He swore a great oath in secret, that never till he died
would he cease to wage war on the Turk. The opportunity soon came. He
entered into a secret agreement with the Hungarians, and with their
assistance defeated the Turks at Nissa with great slaughter.
A fierce war, in which no quarter was given, was then commenced between
the Albanians and their oppressors. Driven at times into the fastnesses
of the mountains; Scanderbeg ever renewed his brave, seemingly
fruitless attempt, when occasion offered.
Ultimately he succeeded in driving the Turks out of Albania; he
renounced the Mohammedan faith, and established himself on the throne
of his fathers.
Even when he lived the deliverer was almost worshipped as a God. He
died in 1467. Then the Albanians, deprived of his skilful generalship,
were in time subjugated by the Turks.
Prince George Castrioti was without doubt an extraordinary man. The
name of Scanderbeg (Alexander) was given him by the Turks, in their
admiration of his prowess.
To say that the Turks have subjugated the Arnauts is not strictly
correct. Their position is something like that of the French in the
remoter parts of Algeria. They hold certain towns, the intervening
country being occupied by independent tribes, governing themselves,
having their own laws.
Why, if a Turkish pasha wishes to traverse the mountains through the
district of a certain tribe, he must consult the Boulim-Bashi, the
town-representative or consul of that tribe, obtain his permission--his
safe-conduct--ere he dare undertake the journey.
The administration of criminal law is not a large item of the expenses
incurred by the Turkish Government in their rule of Albania. They leave
all this to two unpaid judges, who have from time immemorial been the
only two dispensers of justice tolerated by the free people--viz.,
Judge Lynch and Judge Vendetta. Of these I shall have more to say
by-and-by.
The Arnauts are divided into several powerful clans, of which the
Clementis and the Miridites are the most important in this district.
The tribes differ slightly in costume and language. Some tribes, like
the Miridites, are in a wretched condition, starving in their
mountains, the result of a long protracted war with the government,
originating probably in some petty dispute with a tax collector. These
wars hang on in a desultory way for years, until the wretched
highlanders, in order to support existence, are obliged to become
bandits and cattle-lifters--outlaws--the enemies of all men. A Miridite
is now a wretched object generally. I have seen them crawl through the
narrow alleys of the bazaar of Scutari, ragged, scowling at every one,
haggard and weak with hunger, their arms sold for bread--the sign of
extreme poverty, for it is a bitter thing for an Arnaut to part with
his beloved weapons, heirlooms as a rule. The ramrod of his lost
pistols alone dangles from his belt. This, curiously enough, no man
ever seems to part with--probably because it is unsalable.
The Albanians are by some supposed to be the descendants of the ancient
Pelasgi, and of a far purer race than are the modern Greeks. From the
uniformly classic features of the people I should be inclined to adopt
this view. The men have splendid skulls, lofty broad brows and small
delicately moulded features.
The women are the most beautiful in Eastern Europe. The children are
lovely. They have large solemn eyes and splendid mouths--this latter is
their most striking feature--slightly turned down at the sides, which
gives a singularly sweet and thoughtful expression. One cannot be long
among the Arnauts before perceiving that they are evidently of a noble
and ancient race, to which the Montenegrin and other Sclav races will
bear no compare. The polite manners, the delicacy of perception and
tact of these otherwise savage mountaineers, is very pleasant. Fierce
and cruel as foes, reckless of life, they yet are splendid friends;
faithful--knowing not what treachery is--truthful, virtuous;
hospitable, jovial companions, abstemious as a rule, yet not
disinclined on grand occasions to pass freely round the cheering raki
(a spirit extracted from grape skins after the wine is made) and the
absinthe-like mastic.
The language of the Skipitars, as the Arnauts call themselves, varies
much in different districts. Old Illyrian probably in origin, it
contains Greek, Latin, and Sclavonian words, in almost equal proportion;
at least, so it seemed to me, here in the north. For instance, here
are the first thirteen numerals in Albanian; the three tongues I
mention are all traceable in these--_gni_, _du_, _tre_, _kater_,
_pens_, _giasct_, _sctat_, _tete_, _nand_, _deit_, _gnim-deit_,
_dum-deit_, _trem-deit_.
The Albanians do not write in Sclav characters as do their northern,
nor in Greek as do their southern neighbours, but, unlike all other
races hereabouts, use the Latin character. In addition to our
twenty-four letters, they have five others, something like, yet
differing in form and pronunciation from, certain of the Greek letters.
Such are the inhabitants of the country--a country as wild as they.
Well did Byron call Albania "the rugged nurse of savage men."
The Acroceraunian Mountains and the Mount Pindus send their branches
across the whole province. Rugged rocks are heaped one upon the other,
with summits hidden in the clouds. It is a region of tempests, which,
like to Montenegro, is too poor and barren to produce aught but
warriors, who seem ever to thrive best on poor soil, as the stately
pines do. The products of the country are few. The acorns of the
Vallona oak, which are used for dyeing purposes, martin skins, and
boxwood, are the only exports; and not much of these finds its way out
of the country. The history of Albania would afford much of interest to
any one who would study it.
Once included in the great Bulgarian kingdom, then divided into small
principalities, Albania was at last, not without much bloodshed,
absorbed by her two powerful neighbours--Venice on the north, Turkey on
the east. All the valour of Prince Scanderbeg could only delay for one
lifetime the subjugation of his beautiful native land.
Our friend the officer of gendarmerie called on us on the following
morning. With him we took a stroll through the town.
He was rather melancholy. He had received no pay for fourteen months,
and was commencing to be disgusted with his profession.
His men were in still more wretched plight. Their red uniforms were
ragged and torn; many were barefooted. The poor fellows seemed to be
all half-starved. At the present moment they were on strike--"en
greve," as our friend rather mildly termed what we should call mutiny.
I do not imagine the community loses much by their defection, for the
gendarmerie in Albania is a miserable and almost useless body of men.
It might fairly be asked what is the good of having police at all in a
country where murder and every other crime are recognized institutions?
Even rebellion and treason seem not to be punishable offences, for, as
I shall have to narrate further on, the Albanian League hold seditious
meetings under the very nose of the pashas.
What then have the police to do?
With our friend as cicerone to explain all we saw, we traversed the
Christian, and then the Mohammedan quarter of the town.
The streets of the latter are dismal alleys, with lofty walls on either
side; for the Mussulman is a person of retiring habits. He loves to
build his house, and establish his harem, in the centre of a pleasant
garden, which he surrounds with such high walls that no prying eye can
spy his conjugal bliss. A semi-detached villa would never suit him. A
door in one of these walls was open, so Brown peeped through into the
garden within, to the great horror of our companion, who told him if
the jealous Turk saw him he would instantly send a bullet into him.
This officer--who, as I believe I have already explained, is a Roman
Catholic Christian--took us to his house, and introduced us to his
sister, an exceedingly pretty woman. The indoor costume of the Albanian
ladies is much more becoming than the ugly scarlet garment that
completely conceals their beauty in the streets. This lady was the wife
of a wealthy Christian, and her dress was exceedingly costly. The
jacket was stiff with beautiful gold embroidery, and large gold coins
hung from her neck and girdle.
The manners of an Albanian lady are very pretty and gracious. She
brought us coffee with her own hands--small and beautifully-formed as
are those of all her race--and sat by us on a heap of cushions, deftly
made herself a cigarette, and commenced smoking. She conversed with us
in broken Italian, which fell very prettily from her charming lips.
The women of this country do not wither up into old hags by the time
they are thirty, as do most orientals and southerners, but preserve
their peachy complexions and youthful beauty as long as do the women of
our own island. It is true they often get over-corpulent, owing to
their exceedingly sedentary lives. A woman of the higher orders but
rarely leaves her house; and as she is perpetually squatting
cross-kneed, in Turkish fashion, on a divan, or rug, her lower limbs
become rather deformed, the result being that her walk is a very
ungraceful waddle, rather like that of a well-fed duck.
Our friend's sister had been but recently married. Courtship is
curiously managed among the Scutarine Christians. The lover--if he can
be so called--never sees his intended till the day of his marriage. A
young girl is confined in her father's house for a few years before she
arrives at a marriageable age. No men but her nearest relatives ever
see her. When her parents consider she is old enough, they let it be
known among their friends that they have a marriageable daughter on
hand. Probably the young lady's brother will come up to you--if you are
a good catch--some day in the street, and say, "You are just the man I
wanted to see. My sister is now fourteen years of age. You must marry
her." It is an insult to refuse such an offer, for it is generally
looked upon as a great honour. However, if the Benedick be rather
doubtful as to the advantages of the match, and is desirous of
ascertaining whether his proposed bride be endowed with personal
attractions, he goes off to an old woman, whose profession it is to
intervene in such cases. She calls on the bride, inspects her, and
returns to give him an unbiassed summing-up of the young lady's
qualities. If he is satisfied, the wedding-day is fixed, but not till
the last moment does he view his bride. After the marriage ceremony a
very curious performance is gone through. The Albanians entertain
peculiar ideas as regards women. To linger with, to be affectionate
with, the fair sex, they consider to be degrading to a man's dignity,
unfitting him for the sterner business of war. Thus the youth affects
to despise the sex, is very shy of showing the slightest regard for it.
His sentiments, indeed, are very much those of English boys of a
certain age, who would blush to be seen playing with girls. Now, during
the marriage feast the bride retires to a room. The bridegroom refuses
to follow, and is bound to offer strong resistance; while the other
guests--father-in-law, mother-in-law, and all--slap and push in the
sham-reluctant one, who at last has to yield to superior numbers, and
enters the chamber.
As a young lady is so closely confined to her parents' house until the
day of her marriage, she naturally is very anxious to quit a single
state, which is by no means a state of blessedness. Should years go by,
and no suitable youth accept her hand--for, as I have shown, he can
hardly be said to demand it--one course is open to her, in order that
she may gain that freedom she yearns after. She becomes a nun, and
adopts the white robe of the Scutarine sisters.
The nuns here are by no means confined within great stone walls, as in
some countries. They must attend certain services at the church, but at
other times they wander about at their own sweet will, and enjoy an
absolute liberty that none others of their sex ever acquire in the
East. As a natural consequence, if scandal is to be believed, their
lives are not entirely unbrightened with flirtations with the other
sex.